Lesson video

Hello, welcome to your design and technology lesson.

My name is Mrs. Conway, and I will be guiding you through your learning today.

So our learning outcome today then is I can conduct a life cycle assessment of a product.

So we are going to be learning how to actually carry out a life cycle assessment, but first, we need to think about what a life cycle assessment actually is.

And our keywords then are sustainability, responsible design, and LCA, which is life cycle assessment.

We're going to start with then the product life cycle.

Now, product life cycle refers to the stages that a product goes through whilst aiming to reduce environmental impact.

So it's all concerning the environment.

A product's life cycle can be described or defined as cradle to grave.

If we're looking at a cradle-to-grave life cycle, this is what it looks like.

It's described as a linear process.

So it has a clear starting point, with raw materials, and an endpoint, with the disposal of the product.

Now, life cycle of a product is really important.

And it's an important consideration, especially for a designer, as it's used to help consider the sustainability of a product in all the stages of its life.

Sustainability is using resources wisely so that future generations can also meet their needs.

And sustainability, as I'm sure you know, is really an important consideration, but especially important for all designers as they have a responsibility to consider the environmental impact of the products that they design.

Okay, let's just do a quick check for understanding on those little bits.

What is the linear product life cycle also called? Is it a, cradle to waste, b, cradle to grave, or c, birth to grave? Pause the video here.

Just take a moment to think about your answer.

And the correct answer.

It was b, cradle to grave.

Well done if you got that right.

Now, the product life cycle forms an important part of responsible design, and that considers the environmental impact from design to disposal.

So responsible design creates products that are not only sustainable, but also ethical and inclusive as well.

But in this particular lesson, we are looking at responsible design really focused on the sustainable nature of the product.

So if we looked at the product life cycle in a different way, instead of a linear approach, designers are actually moving towards a circular approach.

Now, a circular approach to the product life cycle is described as a circular economy or cradle to cradle.

So slightly different to cradle to grave.

And you can see an example on the side, that example of a circular economy.

So it comes in at raw materials and it goes around through the process, but instead of just ending, it can go through the process again, with the addition of recycling linking that circle together, or repair and maintenance as well.

So let's look at this circular economy in a little bit more detail.

So we start with the raw materials.

The raw materials is when we are selecting whatever materials we're going to use to make the product.

And then we go into the design stage of making the product.

The product is then manufactured, and the materials are processed.

The product is then distributed.

And it's distributed, what that means is it's being sent to the client or the shops that's going to sell it.

Then we're actually thinking about how the product is used.

At this stage, the product might break, or it might not be worthwhile anymore.

So it then might need to be either repaired or maintained in some way.

You've then got two options in a circular economy.

It could potentially end and come away from the actual circular nature of it and go to waste.

Or it could be recycled and go back into the whole process again.

Once it's been recycled, it then could potentially go into a redesign before it goes back around to being manufactured, distributed, and so on.

And it could go through that product life cycle quite a few times.

Now, the introduction of repair and maintenance and also the recycling helps to reduce the environmental impact as rather it just always going to waste, such as the linear process, the cradle-to-grave process, it has the potential to go back around as part of the circular economy.

It reduces the waste by ensuring the whole product is not just necessarily disposed of, and instead, the product doesn't just become obsolete, but instead it goes back into that circular economy.

In the circular product life cycle, products and materials are kept in that circulation and do not become waste.

That's a great thing.

Okay, let's just do a quick check for understanding then on that circular economy.

Which title fits in the dark green segment of the product life cycle? Is it a, product in use, b, waste, c, disposal, or d, recycling? Pause the video here just to take a moment to think about your answer.

And the correct answer.

It was recycling.

It's that last stage that allows the product to go back around through and kept in circulation.

Well done if you got that right.

Okay, on to your first task then.

I'd like you to define what responsible design is.

So explain what does that term actually mean.

The second part of the task is to explain how the product life cycle influences design decisions.

Okay.

Pause the video here to have a go at this task.

And good luck.

Okay, how did you get on? Now, your answers will be slightly different to mine, but I'm gonna give you examples of what your answers could include.

So the first question then was to define a responsible design.

Here is an answer for you to compare yours to.

So responsible design is an approach that prioritises sustainability, inclusivity, and ethical considerations to create products or systems that benefit people and the environment.

It ensures long-term usability, minimises harm, and promotes social and environmental wellbeing.

Just compare your answers to that.

See if you've got anything missing from it, maybe.

The second part of your task was to consider how the product life cycle affects design decisions.

Again, your answer could include something like this, so just compare your answer to this.

The product life cycle encourages designers to create products that last longer, can be repaired, and are easy to recycle.

Instead of designing products to be thrown away, they focus on using sustainable materials and reducing waste.

Designers may also make products modular so parts can be replaced instead of the whole product.

This helps conserve resources and lowers environmental impact.

Again, just compare your answer.

Have you missed anything? Could you've gone into a little bit more detail with your answer as well? Okay.

Next, we're gonna look at life cycle assessment.

So the actual using of that product life cycle and the knowledge of that product life cycle to assess.

So a life cycle assessment, or LCA, is where the environmental impact is assessed at every single stage of that product's life cycle so that through design decisions, the environmental impacts can be reduced.

So it's a very useful tool or assessment or process to make sure our products are as sustainable as possible.

So how do you actually carry out an LCA? Now, you can assess the following at each stage.

And when I refer to the stage, I mean each kind of block on that life cycle.

So you can assess things such as the carbon footprint, resource efficiency, pollution, and also waste management.

Let's just do a quick check for understanding on that.

Why do designers carry out life cycle assessments? Is it a, to focus solely on reducing production costs regardless of environmental impact, b, to evaluate and minimise the environmental impact of a product at every stage, or c, to make products more complex and difficult to manufacture? Pause the video here, just have a go, and think about your answer.

Okay, the correct answer was b.

So designers carry out life cycle assessments to evaluate and minimise the environmental impact of a product at every stage of its life cycle.

Now, at each stage of the life cycle, you can consider the following.

The raw materials.

So if we look at the raw materials to begin with, when we are looking at the raw materials, we wanna consider things such as the energy consumption it's taken to make or get or retrieve those raw materials.

Also, the resource use.

What actual resources are we using up with those chosen materials? And things such as the emissions from the processing of those materials.

When we're looking at the design or the redesign section, if we were coming back around in circulation, we wanna think about things such as the location of the designers.

The method of designing as well.

Or even the energy consumption of the software packages or offices.

Also the emissions.

All of these things make a difference.

So even thinking about the energy consumption of the office that the designer is working in can make a difference.

Then we move on to the manufacturing of the materials and processing.

So things such as the energy and the water usage of making those materials or making the product.

The waste generation that's created from the manufacturing as well.

Again, the consideration of emissions.

And also, the efficiency of the production process.

All of these, again, make a difference.

And we can make really better decisions about these things.

And then we're on to distribution.

Now, for distribution, we wanna be considering things such as the fuel consumption.

So even just considering where something is made in location, if we're talking globally, to where it's going to be sold.

Now, making it somewhere far away from where it's gonna be sold may work out cheaper, but then we have to consider the fuel consumption and the sustainable impact of actually travelling to the location it's going to be sold.

Are we putting more vehicles on the road? So of course, that impacts our carbon footprint.

And also then the packaging impact as well.

Are we creating products that can actually be packaged quite small to use less packaging, and also to fit more onto one truck or more onto less vehicles? All of these things need to be considered.

Of course, when anything is considered from a sustainable point of view, a lot of the times we're kind of in conflict with a profit.

And we have to try and measure and weigh those out a little bit.

The next stage then is the product and its actual use.

So some products don't really need any energy consumption to be used.

However, some do.

And for those that do, we need to think about their energy consumption and also potential emissions as well.

And then it goes on to the repair and maintenance.

Have we designed or are we making the product so that it is durable, and also that it can be repaired easily? And then last stage, that end-of-life.

Are we going to be disposing of that product, or are we going to be recycling it? Have we made or designed it, or is it made and designed, in a way that it can be recycled? What materials have been chosen? So we need to think about that waste generation, the recyclability of it.

Is it biodegradable? And also the environmental impact of those disposal methods.

So you can see just going through these, there's lots of different elements that can be considered as part of the life cycle assessment.

And that can be done on an existing product, but it can also be done as part of the designing process and thinking about how we can make a future product as sustainable as possible.

Again, let's just do a quick check for understanding on that.

Which part of the product life cycle would you consider fuel consumption, carbon footprint, and packaging impact? Is it a, the product in use section, b, repair and maintenance, or c, distribution? Pause the video here just to take a moment to think about your answer.

And the correct answer was c.

It's that distribution stage of the product life cycle.

Well done if you got that right.

Now, Jacob is going to carry out a life cycle assessment of a piece of flatpack furniture.

And it just explains some bits here.

I'm going to use the product life cycle to help me think of every stage of the product's life.

I won't know all the answers, but I can answer the ones I do know, or can find out the answers to.

So some of the considerations of the product life cycle you won't necessarily know the answers to, and it will require a little bit of research on your part, or using your prior knowledge and kind of filling in the gaps.

You also may find that some answers you just cannot find the answers to regardless of how much research you put in.

So for example, you might not be able to find out the location of the designers or what kind of offices they work in.

That's absolutely fine.

But work harder the ones that you either know or you can find the answers to.

So let's take these different stages, or Jacob's gonna take these different stages.

Now, at the raw material stage, extraction and processing can use huge amounts of energy and produce carbon emissions.

So for example, processing iron ore into steel or even processing crude oil into polymers.

They use up high amounts of energy and do produce emissions.

But as well as that, you also want to consider the source of the material as well.

So are they renewable or non-renewable resources? What materials have actually been used? Are they made from non-renewable or renewable resources? How would the materials have been manufactured? These are all questions you can ask yourself as part of the assessment of the raw materials stage.

So Jacob's had a go at this.

Mild steel has been used.

And this is made from iron ore in a blast furnace which has a high heat.

This would've caused high volumes of carbon emissions.

It would also have required quite a high amount of energy.

Iron ore is also a non-renewable resource.

So he's had a go at answering those questions and had a go at just really assessing the raw material stage of his product.

Let's now look at distribution.

So transportation creates huge amounts of carbon emissions, often with products travelling huge distances between the manufacturing site and also use.

Now, locating a manufacturer close to location of sales can reduce this, and that can really help with reducing carbon emissions.

Now, have you ever opened a parcel to find the smallest of products inside the largest of boxes? There is certain particular companies that have a habit of doing that.

Now, mindful use of packaging or making products more lightweight or flatpack or even stackable can reduce the amount of required transportation and also, consequently, the amount of carbon emissions.

This is, again, a good thing, and this is, again, something that would be considered as part of the distribution stage.

Let's just do a quick check for understanding on that then.

What does transporting goods create that can harm the environment? a, carbon emissions, b, renewable energy, or c, oxygen? Just pause the video here to take a moment to think about your answer.

The correct answer was a, carbon emissions.

Well done if you got that right.

So if we're assessing this distribution stage then, we've got a few questions that you can ask yourself.

Where was the product made compared to where it was sold, for example? How much packaging was used? What was the packaging made out of? Again, Jacob's had a go at this.

I have done some research, and my product was made in China, meaning it travelled far to get to me.

However, as it is flatpack furniture, it was transported in a small amount of packaging, which is better for the environment.

It also means that more of them would've fit onto a truck or boat, which would've meant fewer trucks on the road and lower carbon emissions.

So he's thought about the actual location of the product and where it was made and how far it would have to actually travel, as well as how small the packaging was.

And how small the packaging affects not only the amount of card that's been used, but also how much can fit onto a vehicle.

Fewer trucks on the road or fewer boats out there can actually help reduce those lower carbon emissions.

Okay, it's time for you to have a go then.

You're gonna carry out your own life cycle assessment, just like Jacob has done, for a couple of examples of the stages.

You're going to use the circular economy cycle to carry out a life cycle assessment on a piece of flatpack furniture.

So use that life cycle assessment to guide you, but also use the examples that we've been through of the different things you need to consider at each of the stages.

You're gonna pause the video here to have a go at this task.

Good luck.

All right, how did you get on? Now, these are some examples of what you could have included.

So you may have done some answers on raw materials, such as energy consumption, resource use, and emissions from material processing.

You may have looked at the design stage, such as the location of the designers, method of designing, energy consumption for software packages or offices or emissions.

You may have looked at manufacturing materials processing as well, such as the energy or the waste usage, the waste generation emissions, and efficiency production processes.

So have a look at your answer.

Did you get all of those? Did you miss any of them? Some of them you may not have been able to find out the information to.

But did you use as many of them as you could? Did you answer as many of them as you could to get as much detail into the answer? You also could have looked at distribution.

So for distribution, we were looking at things such as fuel consumption, carbon footprint, packaging impact.

Also the product in use.

Does it have any energy consumption when it's actually being used? And then potential emissions.

Repair and maintenance.

You should have looked at things such as the durability and the repairability of the product.

And for the end-of-life, you should have been looking at either the waste generation or whether it was recyclable, biodegradable, and the environmental impact of those disposal methods.

Did you get all of those again? Did you use all of those different ideas to give a really detailed and thorough answer? So again, just compare your answer to whether or not you've got as many of those as possible.

So let's look at a model answer then, or part of a model answer.

We're just gonna look at the life cycle stage of repair and maintenance.

And Jacob had a go at this as part of his larger life cycle assessment.

So he's explained, "The furniture is not made to last long.

It has been made with cheaper materials, such as manufactured board, and joined with components and joining methods that are not very sturdy.

As it's flatpack, the components could be replaced if they broke, but I don't think most users would do this as it would be cheaper to buy it new again.

It could be repainted quite easily if it becomes chipped though.

So keeping a low-cost product and creating it as a flatpack piece of furniture can be massively beneficial, but they do generally have shorter lifespans because of the quality and the way in which they are made.

And Jacob has recognised this and just explained this and looked into a little bit and thought about the environmental impact of that.

Let's summarise today's lesson then.

Today we've been looking at life cycle assessment of flatpack furniture.

Now, a product's life cycle is the stages a product goes through from its introduction to the market until its decline or discontinuation.

A life cycle of a product is an important consideration for a designer, and it is used to help consider the sustainability of a product in all stages of its life.

And we looked at it from raw materials all the way through to either waste or recyclability.

The product life cycle forms an important part of responsible design, which considers the environmental impact from design to disposal.

Now, remember, I did mention responsible design does consider other areas, but in this example, for this lesson, we were really looking at its environmental impact from that design to disposal.

And life cycle assessment, or LCA, is where the environmental impact is assessed at every single stage of the product's life cycle so that, through design decisions, the environmental impacts can be reduced.

Well done for all of your hard work this lesson.

Thank you very much for joining me, and I will see you soon.